Houses in the borough cost almost five times the average earnings, and there now more than two empty ones for every 100 people.

According to the latest data published this week by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, in North East Lincolnshire there were 3,167 empty homes, corresponding to a ratio of two for every 100 people living in the area.

Of these, 1,318 are long-term unoccupied, which means they have been unoccupied for six months or more.

The number of empty properties has increased compared to the previous year, when there were 3,097 empty houses.

Read More

Helen Williams, chief executive of Empty Homes, a charity that campaigns to raise awareness of the waste of long-term empty homes

said: “It is time for empty homes to move back up the housing policy agenda. Building new homes is essential, but so too is making the most of our existing properties.

“We are urging the Government to establish funding for neighbourhood improvement schemes in lower value areas to support local authorities and community organisations to buy and refurbish empty properties, and to tackle the underlying causes like poor housing in parts of the private rented sector. This would make a big difference to the people living there and provide an attractive option for people searching for decent housing at a price they can afford in the wider housing market.

There are currently two empty homes for every 100 people in North East Lincolnshire

At the same time, there is enough evidence to suggest that Government needs to explore additional measures to stop people buying and holding onto properties not to live in but to store and grow their wealth.

Read More

Measures could include further reforms to the council tax system to enable councils to charge a lot more where properties are left empty or hardly ever used, or regulation or planning reforms to ensure properties are built and occupied first and foremost to meet housing needs.”